Sunday, 14 June 2015

Recent articles have given some good
reasons for the absence of Sikh Members of Parliament in the UK. However, it is clear that some, especially
Indian journalists, tend to read too much negativity into this outcome; while
others do not understand the British system for selecting Parliamentary
candidates by the main political parties.

In the UK, politics does not pay. Most well qualified next generation Sikhs,
otherwise doing well in many professions, have shown hardly any interest in
political careers. That can change over the next few years.

Members of Parliament are there to
raise issues on behalf of all their constituents. Some non-Sikh MPs have become Sikh household
names. An outstanding example was the late
Sydney Bidwell, MP (Southall) of "The Turban Victory" fame. Piara
Singh Khabra, the first Sikh MP, who replaced him, was not known for raising
any Sikh, or even other important issues, in the Parliament. Raising Sikh
issues is more important than a Sikh MP in Parliament who is unable to
articulate them in the right context of national issues.

It is true that identity Sikh MPs of
the right calibre would also raise the Sikh profile in the Parliament and the
British establishment, including the mainstream media. Therefore, we also need Sikh MPs, preferably
full identity Sikhs. Lack of Sikh unity
has been given as the main reason for this.
That is rather a simplistic view expressed mostly by those who believe
in some sort of block voting system along Indian political lines; or, who do
not understand the British political system.

Firstly, we can discard block-voting
by British Sikhs. Other communities would adopt such tactics; but it is highly
unlikely that the independent minded Sikhs would adopt such tactics – except
for certain Punjabi localities like Southall. Every Sikh, as a British citizen,
should vote according to own assessment of each candidate’s suitability, taking
into account national needs and the extent to which the manifesto of the main
party to which the candidate belongs, meets them. A candidate’s knowledge of
Sikh aspirations and needs would be a plus point for Sikh voters.

The need is for MPs, Sikh or
non-Sikh, who would also raise Sikh issues and concerns. The Sikh Manifesto
prioritises these under ten main headings. The list is not exhaustive; but is a
good a start. It was sent to
Parliamentary candidates before the election and will continue to be updated
and re-presented to MPs in the years to come and their performance continually
assessed.

A Sikh candidate of the right
calibre, winning a seat in Parliament will make the Sikhs proud, not only by
winning; but also each time he stands up to speak! Not just Sikh men, we should
also encourage well qualified Sikh women to stand for elections. At the end of the day the important thing is
to be able to raise the Sikh profile through outstanding performance and to
pave the way for more Sikhs of the right calibre and political ambition to
enter the Parliament.

A Sikh MP who is unable to articulate
national and local issues, can also give a negative impression of the Sikhs.

Joining a political party and working
for a number of years at local level while overcoming any prejudices through
community service, is a pre-condition for getting selected as a candidate and succeeding
at the ballot box. While racial
prejudice is decreasing, "ethnic" prejudice against the Sikhs is also
decreasing, but at a much slower pace. ("Ethnicity"
characteristics which distinguish a people are defined by the Law Lords.)

My observation over the last 50 years
in diverse fields is that when an identity Sikh of the right calibre has been
there at the right time and place, he has succeeded. There are complex reasons
for the selection or non-selection of identity Sikhs. Sporadic success of identity Sikhs in some
fields does not mean less prejudice against visible Sikh identity. There have been opportunity areas for the
right calibre Sikhs in certain fields e.g. gaining recognition through
interfaith involvement.

However, the exception cannot be
taken as the rule. Sikh success in certain fields does not mean that ground
level prejudice is no longer there. Taking the example of USA, a black President
does not mean that there is now no prejudice against black Americans.

Also, Sikh focus since early arrivals
has been material gain and not political careers. In UK, politics does not pay.
The first generation Sikh immigrants
from late 1950s were not interested in politics, but in making money by working
7 days a week doing as much overtimes as possible. No job was too difficult for
them. First priority was to buy own house and then, in later years, to buy
properties and businesses.

On the other hand, black
socio-political activism goes back many decades. Muslims are known for religio-political
activism. Hindu first generation were better educated and could not work in foundries
and factories. Many went into local
politics for “expenses” and other perks. In my own circle some even returned to
India unable to work in factories like the hardy Panjabi Sikhs. Today, on the
average, both communities are less well
off than the British Sikhs. Very few
Sikhs depend on state welfare system.

So, next generation well qualified Sikhs,
have hardly any political heritage or track record of dedicated local political
activism with any main political party. Exceptionally, where there is such a
record, either the candidate is not of the right calibre to get the Parliamentary
ticket, or not given a winnable seat. The Sikh Manifesto addresses this bias in
the selection procedure as a high priority.

Positive developments are: increasing Sikh numbers, well established
Gurdwaras as Sikh focal points and increased extrovert as well as behind the
scenes Sikh activism. Sikh presence is
felt in the corridors of power and in the Parliament where Sikh issues are
raised quite regularly. More so with Sikh political awareness spreading through
the widely circulated Sikh Manifesto.

Internal Sikh divisions have less political
impact than some lead us to believe. Other
communities have own problems. This excuse is used mostly for internal Sikh
politics and point scoring. That is not to say that Sikhs would not be better
off if they showed more unity and common political direction. However, unlike, especially the Muslim
community, block voting is not the Sikh way.

The stress should be to encourage
young well educated Sikhs to join political parties. Next step, as mentioned in
the Sikh Manifesto, is to lobby political parties to allocate winnable seats to
well qualified Sikh candidate with a good record of local community service.
Identity Sikhs living in areas with hardly any Sikh population have succeeded
in local elections. However, national level politics is a different ball
game. The stakes are higher and so are
the suitability and qualification requirements.

Otherwise, we should be content that
Sikh issues are being taken up by MPs who are well briefed about Sikh aspirations
and concerns. That continues to be the
main aim of the Sikh Manifesto UK.